Content Benchmark E.8.B.5
Students know the Sun is many thousands of times closer to Earth than any other star, and
billions of times closer than the far end of the Milky Way Galaxy. W/L
Sample Test Questions
Depth Of Knowledge Level 1
1. The closest star to Earth is
A. Proxima Centauri.
B. Sigma 2398.
C. Wolf 359.
D. the Sun.
2. A light year is a
A. name given to a non-leap year since it has fewer days.
B. period of time with which we define one star year.
C. metric quantity comprised of 1,000,000 kilometers.
D. measurement defined as the distance light can travel in a year.
3. The Sun is 1.58 x 10-5 light years from Earth. If a star is 1.58 light years from Earth, how
many times further is that star from Earth than is the Sun?
A. 1,000 times
B. 10,000 times
C. 100,000 times
D. 1,000,000 times
4. Use the data table showing the distance from Earth to various stars to answer the question
below.
(Condensed from http://www.closeststars.com/)
What star is farthest from Earth?
A. Kruger 60
B. Ross 128
C. Wolf 359
D. Lacaille 9352
5. Use the diagram below indicating the location of the Sun in the Milky Way Galaxy to
answer the question that follows.
(From http://boojum.as.arizona.edu/~jill/NS102_2006/Lectures/MilkyWay/milkyway.html)
Select the answer that BEST describes the location of the Sun compared to the rest of the
Milky Way Galaxy. The Sun is
A. closer to the furthest edge of the galaxy than to the center of the galaxy.
B. located within the bulge, so is equally located between the edges of the galaxy.
C. part of the halo and globular clusters outside the disk of the Milky Way Galaxy.
D. further from the center of the galaxy than from the nearest edge of the galaxy.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
6. The Sun is located 149,600,000 km from Earth. Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light years from
Earth. Neptune is 29.06 AU from Earth. Which of the following statements accurately
compares the distance of each from Earth?
A. The Sun is closer to Earth than Neptune and Proxima Centauri.
B. Proxima Centauri is closer to Earth than Neptune and the Sun.
C. Neptune is closer to Earth than the Sun but further from Earth than Proxima Centauri.
D. All three are the same distance from Earth, just expressed in different units
7. Use the diagram below depicting how Aristotle arranged the celestial objects known in his
time to answer the question that follows.
(From http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~blackman/ast104/aristotle8.html)
Interpreting the organization of the above graphic suggests that Aristotle believed each of the
following EXCEPT
A. all stars are the located the same distance from Earth.
B. the Sun is a big star closer to Earth than the other stars.
C. stars are found a little beyond the orbit of the last planet.
D. stars orbit the Earth, as do the planets and the Sun.
8. Which of the following statements most correctly compares the distances between Earth, the
Sun, and the other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy? The Sun is many thousands of times
closer to Earth than the next nearest star, and
A. hundreds of times closer to Earth than stars at the far end of the Milky Way Galaxy.
B. millions of times closer to Earth than stars at the far end of the Milky Way Galaxy.
C. billions of times closer to Earth than stars at the far end of the Milky Way Galaxy.
D. trillions of times closer to Earth than stars at the far end of the Milky Way Galaxy.
9. Use the picture below indicating the location of the Sun within the Milky Way Galaxy to
answer the following question.
(From http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/milkyway.html)
Based upon the diagram, which of the following is the BEST conclusion?
A. Most of the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy are very close to Earth.
B. Only of few of the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy are close to Earth.
C. The Earth is located in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
D. The Milky Way Galaxy has the shape of an elliptical galaxy.
Constructed Response E.8.B.5
1. Use the following diagram and information to answer the question below. Earth’s star, the
Sun, is one of a few hundred billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. The top part of the
diagram shows a drawing of the Milky Way Galaxy as viewed from above. The bottom part
of the diagram is a side view of the galaxy. This view helps to visualize the size of the Milky
Way Galaxy by showing the width and depth of the disk. The Earth and Sun are located
within the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.
(From http://boojum.as.arizona.edu/~jill/NS102_2006/Lectures/MilkyWay/milkyway.html)
A. Name the arm, and describe the location within that arm, of the stars which are furthest from
Earth. Determine the approximate distance in light years those stars are from Earth.
B. Observe the distance between the Earth and Sun to stars within the Orion arm and to stars
within the Perseus arm and Sagitattarius arm. Describe how it is possible that some stars
which are not located in the same arm as Earth could be closer to Earth than are some stars
which are in the arm containing Earth.
Content Benchmark E.8.B.5
Students know the Sun is many thousands of times closer to Earth than any other star, and
billions of times closer than the far end of the Milky Way Galaxy. W/L
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. D, DOK level 1
2. D, DOK level 1
3. C, DOK level 1
4. A, DOK level 1
5. D, DOK level 1
6. A, DOK level 2
7. B, DOK level 2
8. C, DOK level 2
9. B, DOK level 2
Constructed Response E.8.B.5 Score Rubric:
3 points
Response addresses all parts of the question clearly and correctly.
A. The stars furthest from Earth are located at the outer end of the
Centaurus arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. These stars are
somewhat over 75,000 light years from Earth.
B. Earth and the Sun are located near the inner end of the Orion
arm, and are close the other stars at that end of the arm.
However, stars at the outer end of the Orion arm are quite far
away from Earth as compared to stars in the adjacent Sagittarius
arm and Perseus arm. When a line is drawn from the center of
the galaxy through the Earth and Sun, it is clear that the distance
between Earth and those arms is shorter than the distance
between Earth and the outer end of the Orion arm.
2 points
Response addresses all parts of the question and includes only minor
errors.
1 point
Response does not address all parts of the question.
0 points
The response is totally incorrect or no response provided.